Apr. 19, 2013 at 12:00am
City Manager Update

Puyallup 911 Has a New Home!

The City’s Communications Center has now moved into its new location. The move from the old facility located on the Pierce College campus, into the remodeled space at the Puyallup Corporate Yards facility, was completed after months of planning, construction, and testing of equipment. Months of coordination was required to ensure that this critical public safety communications facility experienced no disruption of service to the public or police agencies served during the move. A formal open house is being planned in the near future for city officials, media, and partner agencies.

Daffodil Parade

The Daffodil Festival celebrated it’s 80th year in 2013, culminating with the Daffodil Parade as the highlight of the festivities. The parade traveled through the four cities of Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, and Orting and included over 150 entries, including floats, bands, marching, and mounted units. Parade floats were decorated with thousands of fresh-cut daffodils. Mayor Hansen, Deputy Mayor Knutsen, and Councilmembers Palmer, Hopkins, and Swanson also participated in the Puyallup parade. This year’s theme was “The Magic of Music”.

Farmer’s Market Parking

In response to community feedback related to Farmer’s Market parking, the Puyallup Police Department has coordinated with the city’s traffic engineer to add signage that allows for loading and unloading before and after market hours. Puyallup Main Street’s Market Manager has agreed to communicate to vendors that there will be zero tolerance for illegal parking, to set the tone for this year’s market. Tickets will be issued promptly for violations as they occur. In addition, the PPD’s Police Service Specialist will be working the first few Farmer’s Markets to enforce parking regulations. Police officers will also be trained on the changes and will be enforcing the restrictions as call volume allows.

Easter Sunday Dinner

The Puyallup Homeless Coalition organized an Easter dinner on March 31st at the Memorial Community Center and Grayland Park for the less fortunate families and individuals in our community. The event included horseback rides and an organized egg hunt for the kids in the park area, with prizes for everyone participating. Inside activities included musical entertainment and a full Easter dinner with all the trimmings. The event was coordinated by the Puyallup Homeless Coalition along with assistance from many community volunteers. There were approximately 450 participants that attended the event, and a wonderful time was had by all.

Railroad Crossing Construction – Meridian

Meridian was the first of six railroad crossings to be repaired by BNSF, and was closed to vehicular traffic the weekend of April 12-14 for construction. BNSF has been ordered by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission to correct the condition of railroad crossings in Puyallup. The City used what can only be described as an unbelievably fast-paced survey, design, and bid process (including a massive coordination effort with the railroad and contractor). The project was completed on time and Meridian was open to traffic on Monday morning, thanks to the efforts of City staff, including engineering, streets, and police staff, as well as the concrete contractor. The Meridian crossing should last for 20 years or more. Additional crossing repairs in Puyallup are anticipated every two weeks, beginning with 2nd St. NE on April 26-29.

Families in Motion on the Riverwalk Trail

Join the Puyallup Recreation Department and the Friends of the Riverwalk Trail as we celebrate “Families in Motion on the Riverwalk Trail.” The event will include numerous vendors and a variety of free activities, including the Daffodil Valley Volkssports 5k/10k Fun Walk, Veterans Park Fun Run 5k (8:30am), a Dog Parade, and prize drawing! Don’t miss the fun of enjoying our trails while participating in this family-oriented community event. Join us on April 27th from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm at the 4th St NW access point to the Riverwalk Trail.

Preschool Registration Opens

The Puyallup Recreation Center’s “Toddler Campus Preschool” began registration for the 2013-14 school year on April 1st. This popular program prepares children socially and academically for kindergarten. The curriculum includes writing, language development, problem-solving exercises, art projects, exercise, and occasional field trips. Interested parents are invited to the Preschool Open House on May 29th from 5:00 - 6:00 pm at the Puyallup Recreation Center. Preschool starts in September and includes Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten classes for children ages 3-5.

Comprehensive Plan Amendments – Rezone Request

Each year, as a part of the City’s Comprehensive Plan amendment process, private individuals have the opportunity to submit applications to request a change in the designation/zoning of their properties. The City recently received an application from Schnitzer NW, a large industrial developer, relating to property adjacent to the Shaw Road Extension bridge north of East Pioneer. Schnitzer has a purchase contract in place for three large parcels on the immediate east side of the bridge. The application proposes changing the designation/zoning on two of the parcels from “business park” to “limited manufacturing;” the third parcel would remain as-is. This map amendment request will be reviewed by the Planning Commission over the next few months, the Commission’s recommendation will go to City Council later this year.

Development Services

Pre-application meetings were held in the past two weeks on the following potential new construction projects in the City:

· A remodel and enlargement of the Toyota of Puyallup dealership building located at River Road and 15th Street NW. This project would involve a new façade appearance for that building, along with associated site improvements;

· Local builder Dave Qunell (developer of the new Linden Lane multi-family complex on East Main), is proposing a new 16-unit residential project, to be housed in four, four-plex structures on a redeveloped property on 9th Avenue SE, about 150 yards east of South Meridian; and

· Sandwich retailer “Jersey Mike’s” held a meeting with City staff to review plans to locate one of their subway sandwich shops in an existing retail space in the 4000 block of South Meridian.

Farmer’s Market

The first day of the 2013 Puyallup Farmer’s Market was Saturday, April 13th. The popular market will be held in Pioneer Park and the Pioneer Park Pavilion on Saturdays from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm and will run through October 12th. The market will also offer a new Wednesday evening Farmer’s Market in Pioneer Park, beginning on May 29th and running through August 28th from 3:00 – 7:30 pm.

Water Division News

· Crews replaced 258 feet of two-inch water main on Wilson Drive, located off of 7th Ave NW, and also included the replacement of three homeowner water service connections. This project was prompted by a Low Impact Development (LID) Grant that will provide the funds to pave Wilson Drive.

· A leak detection program, which has spanned five years and includes our entire water distribution system, has been completed. This year’s efforts resulted in fourteen leaks identified and repaired. If the leaks had been left undetected, it would have resulted in an annual loss of 6,175,000 gallons of water.

· New water meters will be installed throughout the year as part of an on-going meter replacement project. The 738 meters that were recently ordered will benefit the City by lowering our Distribution System Loss (DSL) numbers in order to comply with the Water Use Efficiency Rule; and will benefit customers by providing the ability to notify them within hours of a leak, instead of months.

POP Unit Provides Safety Presentations

Problem Oriented Policing (POP) Officer Doug Kitts provided a presentation on safety to the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) employees on April 16th. Officer Kitts provided tips on safety in their work environment, as well as addressing issues that pertain to the local DSHS office, including parking issues in and around the DSHS parking garage. The training was well attended and well received by the employees.

Pancake Breakfast & Live Radio Show

On April 13th, the Pancake Breakfast at the Puyallup Activity Center was held in conjunction with the “Senior Health and Informational Fair.” The fair was sponsored by Emeritus at The Courtyard, Arcadia Health Care, Gentiva Home Health, Rajiv Nagaich, Elder Law Attorney, and the Puyallup Lions Club. The event featured a great breakfast, live radio show, and musical entertainment. Thirty community vendors and senior service providers’ attended, with informational booths throughout the Center. Topics included legal, financial, and healthcare issues which are currently being faced by our seniors and/or soon-to-be seniors.

Baseball/Softball Season Opens

Puyallup Recreation Select Baseball league’s regular season started on April 8th. The league, comprised of 43 teams, is a competitive baseball league for 13-16 year old boys. So far, only 9 out of the 22 games scheduled have been played due to rainouts. Staff will reschedule the games throughout the season.

Youth Baseball/Softball league practices are underway, and games are scheduled to start April 22nd. The league is a recreational league for boys and girls ages 5-14 years old, with 56 teams signed up this year.

Annual Prescription Drug Take Back

The Puyallup Police Department will participate with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) 2013 Prescription Drug Take Back program. This is an annual program that the Puyallup PD participates in, in conjunction with the ongoing Prescription Drug Disposal Program (P2D2). The public can find information and locations participating in the program at http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/. The Take Back day is scheduled for April 27th from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. There will be staff at the police department to assist with the program.

Parks Appreciation Day

The Puyallup Parks and Recreation Department sponsored the 12th annual Parks Appreciation Day in Puyallup on April 20th from 9:00 am to noon at Bradley Lake Park. This event gives volunteers the opportunity to participate in general clean up and beautification of our local parks. Projects this year included garden bed weeding, wood chip spreading, removal of scotch broom, and cleaning of the lake dock. Sites throughout the entire county participate in Parks Appreciation Day with over 3,000 volunteers participating in 2012.

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